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Thursday, November 29, 2012

Reflections during the Digital Influencers Marketing Summit in Cebu

The Digital Influencers Marketing Summit in Cebu was really a very fruitful event. It inspired a lot of people to be more passionate about their advocacies. It also made me reflect on many things which I will share to you today. It gathered bloggers (including aspiring and rejuvenated ones), technopreneurs and internet marketers among many others.

The first talk on Bloggers as Influencers and Brand Advocates made me reflect on my organization, the Cebu Bloggers Society (CBSi). The talk featured advocates who also happen to be from CBSi. The talk including the questions in that particular segment made me think that Cebu Blogegrs Society is in the right path in being advocates and not lootbaggers. Many in CBSi like Ruben Licera Jr, Fleire Castro and Bjorn Bernales are becoming known for their advocacies without asking money in return.

How Influencers and Brand Advocates are Shaping Search Engine Results reminded me of being conscious on what links I put on my blog and inspired me to really provide better content in my blogs.

The topic "Building Relationships with Influencers and Brand Advocates" made me realize even more the value of interactions and engagement especially with readers and followers as well as fellow bloggers in various platforms. Perhaps I should visit other blogs and forums more often. I should make my Facebook pages more dynamic with content to engage the visitors.

Listening to the speakers telling their story on their Transformation as an Influencer made me recall also my own transformation from one who just has his students as audience to having now a wider reach. 3 years ago when I was not a serious blogger, I was just teaching in the classroom. But little by little I am able to reach more as I see my Twitter followers increase which include colleagues from other countries. Now I am having public speaking opportunities as well as offline writing opportunities. As I learn more from others, I am able to improve myself knowing things beyond what I studied formally for.

Only then that I realize that my transformation brought about by being active in the blogging and social media scene has after all left an impact to some people I thought I did not have influence over. This is evident in my current Kidney Transplant Fund efforts. I have cash donors who come from parents of my students and some whom I am not personally acquainted with.

Khoa Bui's advices were spot on. I am now determined to write books as my next project. I now want to be an inspirational speaker when my kidney transplant hopefully becomes successful. I will write more often. I will follow Ben Francia's lead of not giving up and treating challenges as "happy problems". Being initially "non-techy" like Alan Choachuy of METAfit Cebu should not be a hindrance to reaching other people effectively.

The elections are coming next year and Ms. Janette Toral is right in pointing out the possible role of Social Media in the elections. It made me recall Uncle Ben's (of Spiderman) message to Peter Parker which could be applicable to social media influencers for this coming elections -- "With great power, comes great responsibility."

With so much things triggered by the said summit and with many people left inspired, I would say it was really successful. Thank you Ms. Janette Toral and the organizers led by Fleire Castro for bringing the Digital Influencers Marketing Summit to Cebu. It was refreshing to see the participants sharing the same passion for their advocacies. I do hope to continue mine as I start my journey for a kidney transplant.